Voice of America: ‘From ABC to TED’: Providing English Education to North Korean Refugees (English translation)

‘From
ABC to TED’: Providing English Education to North Korean Refugees

2019.4.19
Jang Yang-hee

Casey
Lartigue, co-founder of TNKR, explaining the number of North Korean refugees
who arrived in South Korea in recent years.

Every Friday, we
bring you note-worthy news stories related to North Korea. A non-profit
organization that provides free English learning opportunities to North Korean
refugees is currently on a nation-wide college tour in the United States to
rally support for the refugees. Jang Yang-hee reports.

“Okay,
so quick little quiz. Why do North Koreans escape from North Korea?”

April
11th, in a lecture room of the American University, Washington, D.C.

Casey
Lartigue, the co-founder of the Seoul-based non-profit TNKR, asks a question,
and the students raise their hands to provide their answers.

“Because
it’s a terrible place,” answers one student, and everyone bursts into laughter.

Lartigue
asked for a more detailed answer, and students gave answers ranging from mass
starvation to the “guilt by association” system of criminal punishment.

“Very
good answers,” said Lartigue before moving on to his next question.

He
asked why North Korean refugees struggle in South Korea, to which students gave
answers ranging from identity crisis to culture shock.

Lartigue
then asked if the students could guess why TNKR is so popular with North Korean
refugees. One student replied, “Because TNKR provides English education, which
is essential in South Korea.”

Since
the beginning of this month, Lartigue has been visiting universities across the
United States to raise awareness about the lives of North Korean refugees and
to urge others to participate in activities that support North Korean refugees.

TNKR,
headquartered in Mapo-gu, Seoul, was established in 2013 as “Teach North Korean
Refugees.” The organization focuses on helping North Korean adults by matching
them with volunteer English tutors and providing them with one-on-one English classes.

The
refugees can choose as many tutors as they want. The classes are tailored to
their individual needs, which range from preparing for English tests and
college exams to preparing for job interviews.

Casey
Lartigue, an educator who graduated from the prestigious Harvard University,
shared detailed information on his organization’s activities.

According
to the data shared by Lartigue, 2,914 North Korean refugees arrived in South
Korea in 2009, the highest in 20 years. The lowest was in 2017, which stood at
1,127.

Lartigue
explained that, after travelling through China, Laos, and Thailand to reach
South Korea, the North Korean refugees undergo 3 months of investigation by the
National Intelligence Service (NIS) and another 3 months of re-education at
Hanawon, a resettlement support center. Upon completion, they begin their new
lives in South Korea with some government subsidy.

Lartigue
said that the unemployment rate for North Korean refugees in South Korea is as
high as 40%, with their average income only half that of other South Korean
citizens. 80% of the North Korean refugees are said to work in low-paying jobs.

Among
those who entered universities, 30% have reportedly dropped out after facing
various obstacles, with the ‘difficulty in communication’ as one of the top
reasons.

In
this context, learning English has become essential to successfully adapt to
the South Korean society. Lartigue explained that was why he has focused on providing
English education.

Lartigue
also shared examples of North Korean refugees who went on to speak on
international stage after going through TNKR’s program. ‘From ABC to TED’, from
learning basic alphabets to giving quality speeches at international events.

After
an hour-long lecture, Lartigue answered questions from the audience.

An
American in the audience asked, “How can we help from all the way here?”

The
man’s name is John Drugan, who taught North Korean refugees at TNKR when he was
still in South Korea.

Lartigue
said that Drugan volunteered with TNKR back in 2015, and that he has continued
to help the organization by becoming a monthly donor.

Drugan
shared with VOA what it was like to teach English to North Korean refugees.

Drugan
said that a friend had recommended TNKR to him, and that he taught his student
every week even though he was only required to teach twice a month.

[John
Drugan] “It was fantastic. You know, I thought it might be kind of a burden,
something to do every weekend. But..”

Drugan
shared a memory of teaching a North Korean refugee who worked as a nurse.

He
said that he taught her medical terminologies and how to communicate with
foreign patients.

Drugan
himself had majored in pharmacy, which had enabled him to help his student who
worked as a nurse.

Drugan
said that the experience had helped him better understand the situation of the North
Korean refugees. It had also taught him that North Korean refugees were no
different from the rest of us, and he was able to better appreciate their
extraordinary efforts to adapt to the South Korean society.

The
memory moved Drugan to tears. Although the rules at the organization prevented
him from hanging out with his students, Drugan said that he would gladly consider
them as his friends.

[John
Drugan] “definitely consider them as friends. I mean, we’ve spent a lot of
hours together, you know, and most of them were, you know, positive and
memorable. So, I would say the friends…”

Having
taught English and continued to help the organization as a regular donor, Drugan
is remembered as a model volunteer.

But
Lartigue points out that other American students can also participate within
their own means and circumstances.

He
mentioned various ways to participate, such as making promotional materials,
managing the organization’s website, and holding fundraising events.

Larigue
said that TNKR no longer provides online classes, because previous attempts had
not yielded positive results. For this reason, he asked the audience to also consider
non-teaching activities.

Another
student said that she was inspired by Lartigue, her fellow American, for his
efforts to help North Korean refugees. She then expressed her interest in
fundraising.

[Student]
“I will have always been really interested in fundraising. So I think
definitely, like a, like a PR campaign with fundraising involved would be very
effective, especially in DC. Yeah…”

Another
student expressed her admiration for the North Korean students who had improved
their English skills in such a short period of time and went on to give English
speeches. She also expressed her admiration for the organization and its
volunteers.

During
his trip, Lartigue gave close to a dozen talks at various universities,
including Georgetown, American, and Harvard. Although he was able to spark some
interest in the issue of North Korean refugees, Lartigue said that what he wants
is for those refugees to be remembered.

[Casey
Lartigue] “So they’ll pay a little more attention when they do hear something
about North Korean refugees, because so many people will focus on North Korea,
but they will forget about the people. But hopefully after they heard my talk
tonight, they will think about the people and about the challenges they have ….”

Lartigue
hopes that such concerns will lead to action, but said that Americans are very
slow in changing their perceptions and interests about North Korea.

Having
spoken many times in the United States after creating TNKR, Lartigue points out
that there remains very little interest beyond the international security
issues such as North Korea’s nuclear weapons.

For
this reason, Lartigue emphasizes the importance of continuing to send basic
information into North Korea and staying committed to such activities.